


It's a Long Story

by Seagoatink



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Personality Disorders, Speech Disorders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-18 02:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9361058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seagoatink/pseuds/Seagoatink
Summary: Her son was kidnapped from her dead husband's now frozen arms. So Mari was running across what was now known as the Commonwealth to get her baby back. That was the short story.This is the long story.





	1. 200 Years and a Gas Station

Leaving the Vault and the body of her husband was one of the most difficult things Mari had ever done. Her baby was gone and judging from the skeletons that littered the Vault, it had been a very long time since Shaun’s kidnappers had ransacked the place and left her there to freeze.

Fighting through giant cockroaches wasn’t a huge endeavor, given all the strength training from before the war. On top of the training, she was a dancer with amazing calves, if she dared say so of herself. As fun as it was to make use of her guns, when she came across an actual pistol, Mari was thrilled. No longer did she have to punch her way out of the disaster that was Vault 111.

Her home was desecrated, but Codsworth was there. He was not Nate, but he was something from the now long distant past that she could cling to. Still the robot stood firm as a reminder that Shaun had been taken away from her. If not for needing help taking care of an infant, she and Nate would not have bought the Mr. Handy unit in the first place. “I believe there may be people in Concord, Mum,” he said as she stood in front of him in stunned silence.

“200 years?” Breathed Mari in disbelief. “Stay here, Codsworth. With any luck I’ll be back with good news,” she said and took off running.

At the Red Rocket Truck Stop, she stopped to scavenge for whatever she could find. To her surprise, there was some food. It was heavily irradiated though. Mari assumed Rad Away and Rad-X would be hard to come by, so she set what packages of medications she could away in her deep pockets.

Not too far away from the garage she could hear burrowing. Against her better judgement, Mari turned on a nearby radio, ignoring the sounds outside for some well needed tunes. If anyone was out there, as Codsworth had suggested, then someone would be on a radio frequency.

As she scrounged for all she could, a dog padded around the front corner and let himself in through the gas pump entrance. “Hey, there buddy. You lost?” She found herself asking, as if the creature could talk. Mari had to admit, she was glad the dog wasn’t horribly mutated from radiation poisoning like the cockroaches in the Vault were.

Then giant rats sprang out from the ground. At least, she assumed they were rats. Only once had Mari seen groundhogs, and that was at the zoo -when she was six.

The dog was quick to attack, as she figured he would be. There was no way in this post-nuclear war hellscape that a purebred German Shepard was not a trained attack dog and loyal companion. He was going to prove himself useful, and she knew it.

After all of the nasty creatures had been taken out, no thanks to her piss-poor aim, she piled them up next to the cooking station and went to work. With luck and the help of her Home Ec teachings, Mari was able to make something edible with all the meat she had gathered. Even from the giant cockroaches.

She placed her future meals in her pockets. As much as she wanted to find a clean container to put her new prime rib steak equivalents in, Mari knew that was not a likely possibility. The world as she knew it was caked in nuclear fallout.

Nightfall was coming.

She closed the garage door and gripped her pistol tightly.

The German Shepard sat down next to her as she watched the open door. Mari placed her back against the wall and slunk to the floor with tears in her eyes.

The world she once knew was 200 years dead, brought on by a landslide of political tension and shitty government decisions. It was 200 years dead, caked in nuclear fallout, skeletons, giant cockroaches and rats, and Mari was damn certain she hadn’t even seen the half of it.

Her neighbors were skeletons next to her husband’s corpse and her baby was gone.

One thing Mari knew to be absolutely clear was that she was going to find her son, and she’d be damned if she let anyone get in the way of that.


	2. Concord and Minutemen

Morning came and Mari found that the haze of yesterday had not been some twisted nightmare. The bombs had been dropped. Her husband was dead. Her son was missing. Cockroaches were giant and horrendous too. Molerats weren’t even something she wanted to think about.

The dog that had conveniently come to her aid yesterday stretched as she sat up. Mari followed suit and stretched out her arms then her legs, effectively popping a few joints. “Let’s go to Concord, boy,” she said, doing her best to sound hopeful for his sake. “I gotta find a name for you, pup,” she added as a second thought then took to the road once more.

This time, she had company.

Walking to Concord took time, but with the dog by her side, time seemed to move faster. She smiled down at him when they finally reached the outskirts of the town. It was desecrated ruins. Buildings were literally falling apart, and many of them had giant holes that cast strange shadows. But after almost a day’s worth of travel, she had finally made it to her destination.

In the distance gunshots sounded.

“That doesn’t sound too good, does it, boy?” Mari said. She was surprised when his ears perked up and he appeared to understand what she said.

Then he ran off, presumably towards the sound of firing guns.

Mari’s eyes widened. The last thing she wanted to have happen was to lose the first decent thing to come out of this new world. Accentuate the Positive was playing on the radio through her Pip-Boy and she rolled her eyes as she ran after the dog she had hardly known for a day. What the Hell was positive about the Goddamned end of the world.

Around the corner a gang was shooting up the Museum of Freedom, ironic as that was, it was hard to tell who was really in the wrong. Fortunately, Mari didn’t even need to guess, because the dog began attacking the men and women outside of the museum. Him being her dog, she followed his lead. He probably knew this world better than her anyway.

Maybe it would have been different, killing people that is, if she had done them in with the 10mm pistol she acquired in the Vault. Maybe it would have been different if their faces were all mangled and their brains were gone. That’s what Mari told herself anyway as she stared down the bodies of the people she just killed.

Her hands hurt from the metal of the tire iron arguing with her grip. It vibrated violently with every vicious beating she served the villains her dog ripped apart. Each blow she dealt stretched the skin of her hands, between her index finger and her thumb, causing the flabby flesh to thrum and throb as pink rose to the surface to show its utter irritation with her.

Mari glared up at the museum.

“Whoever’s in there better be damn grateful,” she growled to herself before stuffing her flesh into her mouth. She attempted to suck away the pain, but it only helped so much, which was to say that it didn’t help at all.

For a moment, she stole a glance at the bodies littering the already tattered street again. Her stomach almost gave way, causing Mari to gag. Hurling the contents of last night’s meal onto the splintering pavement and uneven cement sidewalks was a less than savory thought. The giant creatures that made up dinner were not at all that tasty to say the very least and Mari didn’t want to find out how they tasted coming back up.

Those people were dead.

Sure, she hadn’t killed them with her bare hands. Regardless, she beat them to death. They were gone because of her, and eventually their corpses would be plucked clean by scavengers, like those of her neighbors. Only, these people were different. She ended their lives, not some government officials who had agendas and hidden motives.

Inside the museum was… Well, it was something else. Mari always thought about bringing Shaun to the museum when he was older. As a child, she had been here. She imagined what it must have been like during the civil war.

Gunshots fired on the surprisingly-still working speakers as other gunshots sounded elsewhere in the museum. Those ones really being fired weren’t muskets of the olden days, but rifles and pistols probably held together with duct tape, super glue, and maybe even paper mache.

Mari pulled out her 10mm, desperate to develop a better aim.

By the looks of it, this was how the rest of the world was. Raiders and killers would be the world she needed to get used to. If she couldn’t fire and aim a gun correctly, someone would do her in mighty quick.

The poor bastards upstairs were probably just as civilian as her. The thought almost upset Mari for a multitude of reasons. 

“Why don’t they do this themselves?” Mari asked herself aloud as she fired the pistol into the dark corners of the museum. “Why do I have to pick up a gun and be a killer?” She wondered. “Why. Not. Them?” Each word was enunciated with a bullet, each with better aim than the last.

The man up on the walkway fell three stories into the basement. Had he not already been dead, Mari figured she might be a little sympathetic. But she was still being shot at. The woman ducked for cover, hopping over a wrecked desk to truly hide behind a wall. It was darker there in the corner, but it was better to unskillfully reload her gun there than in direct line of sight of the idiots scattered about the museum. 

Returning to the firefight, Mari realized she still had shit aim. Her last target was only easy because he stayed still as she corrected her aim with each shot. Now one of the raiders was running at her with a baseball bat, which was far less terrifying than a tire iron. She backed up to the best of her ability down the hall while shooting at him, hoping to hit him in the face.

The man went down with a thud, and almost landed on Mari as he did so. She shot him in the back once for good measure, then walked around his corpse.

Killing people was hard, not just morally. Of course it was wrong to shoot someone in the face. Mari felt especially bad for trying to shoot the man, specifically in the face. But he was going to fucking kill her. He didn’t even know her! Internally, she screamed the words as her face scrunched up. Still, she strode through the museum, doing the best to aim before shooting her firearm.

The group in need of her help was on the top floor. A couple of the raiders were banging on the door, screaming profanities as they tried their damnedest to get to the civilians. One of them charged at Mari, and she promptly threw the woman over the railing. If the wall wasn’t so close, she would have saved her bullets and pulled out her tire iron.

Circumstances weren’t ideal however, so she pulled her piece from her pocket and started shooting into the dark again. “Fucking die, you nutsack!” She screamed as she relentlessly fired her weapon, hoping she wouldn’t have to see their bodies.

“Thank you so much for your help, Ma’am!” Exclaimed one of the younger men. He had dark skin and was wearing some old time-inspired outfit. His weapon was some sort of musket that, as she discovered earlier, shot red light. If it was old weaponry, then Mari didn’t recognize it. She figured maybe Nate would have. “I’m Preston Garvey,” Preston added as an afterthought and stuck out his hand for her to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Mari held her hand out to him and they shook. Her brows tangled into a mess and wrinkles formed on her forehead. “I-” She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to talk. “Fuck. I-” The words weren’t coming out. “I get like this sometimes, sorry,” she muttered apologetically, before turning away from him and stamping her foot into the floor. “FUCKING CHRIST, MARI!” She shouted. Suddenly she turned back around to face Preston. “That!” Mari said hastily. “That’s my name!”

She was clearly distraught, and after fighting off the raiders on her own, she had every reason to be. Still, it was erratic behavior and Preston was reasonably put-off by it.

“Are you alright, Mari?” The man asked as his company did their best to hide their skepticism.

The woman took a deep breath as she slid down the wall. Once seated firmly on the floor she nodded. “I have a stutter,” she said slowly saying each word. She sucked in her lower lip and chewed, an old nervous habit she knew she would never kick.

“I know it took you a lot to help us in here, but the raiders’ leader is still out there,” Preston said. He sauntered across the room and took a seat at the desk and terminal. The area was well lit by candles that had grouped together and melted onto the desk. “There’s a suit of power armor up there and the gun on the vertibird could surely help you take him down.”

Mari didn’t want to go out again. She didn’t want to kill again. But at another desk was a man and his wife maybe. The woman was angrily staring Mari down with distrustful eyes. The man was looking away, probably crying into the nook of his elbow. There was another man, maybe a little older than the couple in the corner, leaning against the wall, but Mari couldn’t see him well enough to see his expression.

Then her eyes fell on an old haggard woman seated by the filing cabinets directly next to Preston’s desk. She wore a velvet, teal-colored jacket, a pair of slacks, slip on shoes, and beanie looking hat that was also teal. Mari figured like any old woman, this old woman stuck to her favorite color. “You’ll find your boy, I can feel it,” she said.

Her voice grated in Mari’s ears, but her words were Heaven-sent. “You s-s-saw him? You saw Shaun?” She winced at her own voice and the sound of her stutter.

“I don’t know who you’re looking for,” the scowling woman said, “but Mama Murphy’s got the Sight. And she’s not going to see shit if you don’t go back out there and kill those fucking raiders.”

“Marcy,” her husband pleaded from his spot at the desk.

Not wanting to hear any of the arguing, Mari stood up and left the room without even a glance back at her new “friends”. Her jaw clenched and she groaned as she made it to the roof without a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mari always has a stutter. When it's worse I write it in, just as an extra reminder. Sometimes I will note that it is there, that just means its painfully obvious.
> 
> I just started writing chapter six, and have decided Mondays are nice days to update. So Mondays!


	3. Rad What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari doubles back to Sanctuary and finds herself wanting to return, despite its constant reminder of the world that was.

Between Sanctuary Hills and Tenpines Bluff a very hostile couple and maybe their third part to their little picnic sat. One of them shot her in the lower thigh, fortunately missing a major artery. It stung and burned and throbbed. Mari limped around as she shot bullets back at her assailants and hobbled for cover.

If her adrenaline would ever kick in Mari figured the pain might subside, if only a little. However, there wasn’t time for that as Dogmeat rushed into the fight, snarling. The woman sighed and dug through her pockets for a Stimpak. As much as she hated the things, it seemed that there was never a better time in her life to self medicate than now. 

The injection worked its magic quickly, and the pain subsided as suddenly as it started. She broke her cover and aimed to the best of her ability. Maybe someday, she figured, her aim would be as good as Nate’s. When all three of the fuckers were dead, she fell to her knees and wondered what kind of hellscape she truly found herself in. Never in her life had she figured she would be plucking corpses clean, let alone corpses of people she killed.

As she opened their lunch box a red, heavily mutated deer with two heads entered the clearing. Her eyes widened in horror. Before the bombs nothing like the creature would survive its infancy. But now things beyond her comprehension were feasible. Mari remembered the creatures she killed within her first 24 hours outside the Vault.

Preston told her those were radroaches and molerats. They were common. He hadn’t told her about literally anything else, despite her informing him she was from a Vault. Also deathclaws were a thing, and Mari had no idea what they were originally.

Mari swore aloud as she aimed her gun at the beast in front of her. Deer were nasty if fucked with before the bombs. She wanted to kill the thing before it hurt her.

It ran, but not far. Dogmeat attacked its legs and it quickly bled out and dropped dead into the dirt. “Dogmeat, we have to bring this back home,” Mari told the dog as she searched the area for something that could help them bring back the carcass.

The idiots they had killed only a short time ago had a picnic blanket with green checkering. As dandy and charming as it was, it was the best object available to aid in toting around a deer carcass. She hoisted the body over the blanket and managed to maneuver it so the carcass wouldn’t slide off of the fabric.

Dogmeat was more than happy to help lug the beast back to Sanctuary, he was practically prancing at the promise of fresh meat. Good meat. “That’s a good Dogmeat,” Mari said, scratching the boy behind the ears as she untied the blanket from his bulletproof vest. “Go get Preston so I can ask him _What the literal fuck, child?_ ” Her voice was cheery, to avoid making Dogmeat think she was mad at him. But off the dog went, seemingly understanding the first bit of her request.

Mari waited by the cooking station, she emptied her pockets hoping to find some industrial strength twine or metal wiring. Almost anything she could use to hang the carcass up with was what Mari was searching for. 

The dog came back proudly sauntering to her as Sturges and Marcy followed behind him. “Wow, you actually aren’t completely useless,” Marcy said. “That’s a nicely-sized radstag.”

“I need some help hanging it so I can skin and gut it,” said Mari. She figured she stuttered less because she just murdered a few bandits and brought home food for a week or more, but that wasn’t to say her stutter was gone. 

“I can imagine,” Sturges replied with what sounded like a Southern drawl. “Have you got anything useful on you?”

Mari walked over to the more even cement slab that was once a parking spot for her neighbor’s shiny new car. She dumped the contents of her bag onto the ground, then pulled out smaller things like rolls of duct tape and Wonderglue from small compartments. Military grade duffel bags were convenient that way. 

As important as avenging Nate’s death and finding Shaun was, the woman found that prioritizing her next meal would likely keep her more alive than anything else. Well, next to avoiding being shot of course.

Falling into the motions of something familiar, like skinning a buck with other military wives with a beer in hand, that was relieving. Though, she never had a beer because she hated how much attention it brought on. “You’ve had your liquid luck,” Nate would say, knowing she liked some of the eyes that were watching her. “I’ll be on the grill, you have your thrills.”

Mari’s heart ached, but she didn’t let on as she and Sturges strung up the radstag and went to town on the thing. 

Night came quickly. With full bellies, it was a haze as they gathered around the fire pit and shot the shit. Dogmeat was happy at Mari’s feet and Codsworth was jubilantly going about his business, occasionally mentioning the dearly departed and the young master.

She wouldn’t say it, but Mari wished Codsworth would can it. She wanted to enjoy her feast and her company and maybe pretend that this world wasn’t as bad as the one she left behind.

Marcy returned to the warm fire with her husband. “A fucking molerat bit me,” she grumbled, as she made sure her husband found a log to sit on. A moment later she sat down next to him.

“Oh my!” Codsworth exclaimed.

Mari immediately fished through the pockets of the coat she was wearing. The Vault suit was the first thing she ditched. Somehow she managed to find a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt to swap it for, but over it she wore a big, green jacket, clean as they came these days. “I’ve got some Rad Away and a Stimpak, if you want,” she said, extending her hand in Marcy’s direction with her helpful finds in tow.

“Where’d you find this stuff?” Marcy questioned skeptically, but quickly took the meds from Mari.

Mari pulled a bobby pin from the collar of her white T-shirt. “I may not be smart enough to hack a terminal, but I am good at picking a lock,” she offered with the best smile she could manage.

Marcy didn’t say anything in return.

“Oh, Mum, you do know that belonged to someone!” Codsworth said from behind her.

The woman did her best to avoid rolling her eyes even though she knew the robot couldn’t see. “It belonged to a skeleton on vacation, Codsworth. I’d say it’s of more use with Marcy.” Her stutter was terrible after a long day of work and now being judged by her own Mr. Handy unit.

“I do believe you should retire for the night, Mum.”

Mari glanced down at her feet. She had taken off her boots a long time ago, because they didn’t fit and she was tripping over them. They were huge and she figured, maybe she took them from a man with size 11 feet.

She could feel eyes on her. They didn’t feel like they were concerned. The stares felt like they were watching, judging, sizing her up.

If it wasn’t so late. If she wasn’t so tired. If she had half an idea for what was really out there.

Mari thought maybe, just maybe, she would have left the settlement right then and there. She dreamed of never coming back to this shithole reminder of the world that was, even if it wasn’t pretty before either. That world had her husband, and this world preserved him down the road, in a Vault, in a cryogenic stasis pod.

That was this world’s fault.

It was that world’s fault too.

“Codsworth,” Mari said, sleepily, “I think you ought to see the world with me.”

“If you so desire, Mum. I’ll start packing some food,” the robot replied.

“With all due respect, Codsworth, I’ve taken care of that already,” said Mari. “I need bullets if you can find some.”

Off the robot went and Mari returned to stare at her feet. She felt so small in this new and transformed world. It was the great unknown and she was drowning in it.

Her resentment towards Preston and his inability to talk about anything other than the Minutemen passed while she skinned the radstag with Sturges. The man had a knack for keeping her calm. Not in the way Nate had, but Sturges was brotherly. He was open, but minded his P’s and Q’s. There were some things you didn’t admit for others, and Sturges was careful not to say more than necessary without leaving the conversation with more questions than answers.

Now they were in front of the fire, all together with Dogmeat and Codsworth. Some ragtag bunch who didn’t even want to be there in the first place. Well, Mama Murphy and Preston seemed content. Sturges seemed to accept where fate took him. Marcy was bitter with resentment. Jun was beyond depressed. Then there was Mari, who stood somewhere, but she wasn’t exactly sure where that was.

When the fire faded out, each person eventually left for a different house or room as if they had lived there all their lives. Mari rested on a mattress Preston had brought to her room while she was cooking. “Remind me to thank that boy in the morning,” she muttered to Codsworth. Mari pressed her face against the fabric, grateful that none of the springs were stabbing her yet.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Mum. Do try to get some rest,” replied the unit before he sputtered out of the house.

Late in the night, Mari came to realize she wasn’t the only one who swore in her sleep. She could hear Marcy crying down the road. Even through her Hard-as-Nails facade, she was just as shaken as everyone else.

The sun would start to rise soon by the color variations on the horizon. She sat up and pulled her coat over her shivering shoulders before leaving her well-placed bed. There sat Preston outside her house as Codsworth made his way down the road as he probably had for the past 200 years. “Ma’am,” greeted the Minuteman as he stood from his spot. 

“Thanks for making sure I had a bed, Preston,” Mari replied. In the morning the pitch of her voice was higher than normal. Today, it was almost unbearable and even she flinched at the sound.

“Happy to help, Ma’am-”

“Mari,” she interrupted. He knew her name and she wanted to hear it. She wanted to know people knew, so she could remember she wasn’t hallucinating this whole thing.

“-Mari,” he continued and dipped his head with an award winning smile that made her want to ask how he kept his teeth so shiny in this shitty hellhole. “I actually have a favor to ask you, if you’re willing to consider it,” admitted Preston.

Even before being frozen for 200 years, Mari was rusty when it came to communicating with other people. Especially when she wasn’t on her fourth shot of liquor in a drinking contest. So she nervously averted her eyes away and to Codsworth down the road. “Do I get to heat up some food while you talk at me?” She asked. Mari only realized how _off_ it sounded once the words were already said. “Sorry,” she sputtered, her tongue fighting her lips for the words she wanted to say.

“Yeah, we can walk and talk. Then talk and cook and listen,” Preston replied with a little chuckle. He had a very slight, but still noticeable lisp that Mari had noticed last night. Maybe that was why he didn’t mind her stuttering as much as everyone else. “I can’t help these people the way you can. You’re a natural leader.”

The woman was heating up a steak from last night. She planned on cooking some radroach and giving that to Dogmeat but honestly, Mari felt a little selfish for not letting him in on their major spoil. “You led them here,” she replied in a careful and quiet tone.

“But you lead them out of Concord and you took down those raiders. That wasn’t me,” Preston argued.

He moved to sit next to her, but Mari scooted away. He wasn’t threatening to say the least, but being in close proximity to people this early in the morning wore away her sanity mighty fast. “Preston, I know where you’re coming from.” Mari shifted on the stack of cinder blocks and let out a hefty sigh. “I have a lot on my plate. I’ve gotta find my son above all else,” she reminded him.

Preston opened his mouth to try and protest, but she held a finger to his face -well as close as her short arms could get to his face.

“But I do want to help.” Karma was one Hell of a mother, and Mari wanted to be on her good side even if it didn’t grant her eternal riches. “I’m sure with way the world is now, it could use the Minutemen.”

He explained a lot of things as she cooked her food, and half of it flew over her head. But when she crossed the bridge between Sanctuary and the rest of the Commonwealth, Mari had a feeling she would do her best to come back and assist in any way she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sick right now. Surprisingly, I'm still writing chapter 6 after a full week.
> 
> Art blog: skeletalmergoat.tumblr.com  
> Feel free to send writing requests or suggestions or even just general conversation! :)  
> https://twitter.com/SkeletalMergoat


	4. Cambridge Distress Signal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Corvega to Cambridge and everywhere else Mari's feet take her, it's an experience. Once again, she's not sure she likes where this new world is headed.

Cleaning out the old Corvega Assembly Plant was a bitch and a half, but the deed was as done as Justin was dead within its confines. Codsworth was singing a different tune so to speak. He no longer protested violence towards humans, but he did keep Mari’s moral compass in line when she spoke to settlers. It had been so long since then though.

Having company other than a Mr. Handy or dog would have been nice, but Preston’s face was too pretty for her liking. It made her feel spoiled. Besides, she reasoned, he had work to do at Sanctuary and that was very important to the livelihood of the people he saved in Quincy. “He is quite the charmer, Mum,” Codsworth assured Mari, even though she had asked for no assurance whatsoever.

“I didn’t ask, Codsworth,” Mari replied, doing her best not to sass the robot but turning up with the satisfying, sweet words anyway. She was pushing a shopping cart filled to the brim with crap she had grabbed, not only from Corvega, but also along the way there, and from the town nearby. Her bag was also stuffed and her pockets were full.

Even Codsworth was carrying his weight in cash registers and typewriters. “I believe he would have your best interests in mind,” the robot carried on.

Mari rolled her eyes and wheelied the cart so she could make it over the jutting concrete and asphalt. “Holy shit, is that what I think it is?” Said the woman, wide eyed, as a silhouette in the distance hinted its existence as a billboard. “Oh gosh, that would be such a cool place to stay if it is!” She exclaimed, which a thrill in her voice that Codsworth hadn’t heard in centuries.

The robot puttered on behind her, but in an hour they found their destination. The Starlight Drive-In was not the extravagant beauty it once was, but there it stood. One giant relic that broke through the sky. It was jaw dropping and wonderful.

The concrete was cracked and the cars were mostly rusted through and through. In the center of the lot was a giant hole of heavily irradiated water, so much so that standing even 10 feet near it made her Geiger counter tic. “Mum! Do be careful!” Codsworth rattled on behind her.

She had ditched her cart under the overhang attached to the food station, and Codsworth did the same with the rubbish Mari tasked him to carry. She opened the door to the diner, only to hear ticking. “Back away!” She shouted. Her knees were high as she rushed away from the door. “Fuck,” she swore under her breath. Some scrap metal had nicked her leg and forearm.

“Dare I ask what I told you about being careful?” Codsworth chided near the shopping cart.

“Hush!” Mari returned, not wanting to look back at him. She threw down her coat, and from there slid off the duffel that was under her shoulder, resting against her spine. “It’s time to do some searching.”

Molerats sprung from the ground and Mari handled them like a heavy hitter on a good day of baseball. And when they searched the billboard-esque screen tower Mari hit bloatflies right out of the sky.

After a night’s stay, Mari left her shopping cart and emptied her bag into what was once a storeroom in the screen tower. She locked the door, knowing she could easily pick the lock to retrieve the items later.

The following day was spent wandering, kicking grass, and trekking up hills. “I don’t think Nate could’ve lived like this, Coddy,” she said, hopping down from a drop off. She slipped off a log she hadn’t seen and twisted her ankle. “Fuck!”

“Oh dear, Mum,” the bot was quick to say as he sputtered after her down the hill. “I don’t think this is the most efficient mode of transportation.”

“That’s because it’s not!” Mari retorted bitterly, deciding not to follow up on her earlier words about her late husband. It was bad enough having to hear Codsworth morn. She didn’t want to be insulted further, especially since she had just misstepped and hurt herself.

Nate wouldn’t have made that mistake. However, he would have gone into a fit of panic by the time he hit Concord, realizing his son wasn’t in the town and no one had seen the kidnappers in ages. She figured, maybe he would have gone on in an enraged trance until he found her murderers at least, but it was questionable if he even knew how to patch a pair of jeans.

Mari sighed and fiddled with her Pip-Boy as she sat and rubbed her sore ankle. “Hey, Codsworth, it looks like there’s a signal from Cambridge,” she said.

“Then I do believe we ought to check and see who’s there, Mum,” replied the robot as he circled around her. He liked to believe he was the only thing standing between her and the evils of the world. At least, that’s how it felt most of the time.

She switched the station to listen to what she assumed was a radio station. It ended up being a distress signal set to repeat. “Cambridge, now,” Mari decided out loud. She stood and ignored the pain that shot from her ankle through her tendons and up her leg. The pain would fade away eventually, but if she could save a few more people from dying for the day, then it would be well worth it.

The town of Cambridge was littered with ferals. Mari was surprised she remembered the names of them. They fit the description that Preston had given her when he first reached Sanctuary Hills almost to a T. Their eyes glowed and their nails scrapped. They moved haphazardly about the area that was long ago bustling with traffic both on foot and on wheels. These ferals in front of her were probably once the same people who provided the traffic.

The thought made Mari’s stomach lurch.

As soon as she helped those people at the police station, she swore to herself she would give the ferals the best funeral she could offer. 

The police station was as fortified as they came these days, at least compared to Mari’s small experience of fortified areas these days. Though she had to admit, the raiders at Corvega had a damn nice setup. She even tried to tell them, but it wasn’t much use considering they were dead.

With Codsworth behind her, Mari entered from the side alley to the left of the station and shot her way through ferals. There were so many of them that she assumed the ferals were the reason there was a distress signal in the first place.

Her gun ran out of bullets, so Mari settled for her trusty tire iron. Fortunately, she had leather gloves with soft lining to lessen the damage dealt to her hands. Welts still appeared, but they weren’t as bad as before.

Killing ferals felt worse than killing raiders. Raiders, like the ones at Corvega, knew what they were doing was wrong. They hurt people because they felt like hurting people. Ferals, ferals seemed to have no mind at all. They attacked because that was all they knew to do. Humans were different and unfamiliar to them by the looks of it. The realization broke her heart.

Every one of these ferals were once human. One of them was probably her sister-in-law.

“Thanks for the help, civilian,” said a man in power armor as he walked over a few dead ferals.

Mari did her best to hide her disgust. “I heard your distress call, figured you could use the help,” she admitted. He was dismissive for whatever reason, but Mari was so used to her stutter that even when it only showed up once or twice she would forget it was there. “So… Are you a settlement?” She found herself asking.

“We’re on official business,” he answered, leaving Mari to wonder if he could be any more vague.

She groaned with a roll of her eyes at his statement. “Listen, Queen of England, get off your high horse. I just helped you from getting murdered. Don’t mind me none, I’ve just got a stutter,” Mari did her best to keep her voice flat and loud. The more she projected her voice, the less her voice wavered on her, and that was how she liked it. If it didn’t work, then she supposed she’d have to try her Mother Voice.

Nate loathed her Mother Voice.

After the trip from the drive-in to Cambridge and then fighting off wave after wave of ferals, it was no surprise that night was falling. If this asshat continued to be a shitlord, then finding a good, safe place to stay for the night would be difficult. Ferals were, no doubt, in larger numbers in the better, more defensible buildings. 

“I’m Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. We’re here on recon mission,” Danse said. He was a straight shooter, not shit talking, and straight to the point by the sounds of it. “We sent out a distress signal, but we need a boost.”

Mari knew where this was going. She didn’t like it, this Brotherhood of Steel rubbed her the wrong way. That power armor sitting back at Sanctuary came from a Brotherhood vertibird, so did the minigun. Logos were practically branded onto the things. And to further her point, Paladin Danse stood before her in his power armor. It looked like all the members of his crew had the best weapons they could get their hands on too.

None of this looked pretty, but she didn’t have to agree to anything.

Mari didn’t have to agree to help them boost their signal. But she agreed to do so despite her better judgement. She took as much as she could from their base in the way of meds, slept in one of their sleeping bags, took every bullet she could find. When they were in the other room, thinking she was asleep, she slipped Scribe Haylen’s personal Holotape into her interior coat pocket.

The following day was a disaster and a half going through ArcJet Systems to find whatever he was looking for. He was in the same room as the rocket when she accidentally activated and fired the thing. On one hand, she felt immensely guilty; on the other her actions cleared out a room full of enemies and Danse survived. 

They continued through the company building after Mari administered a Stimpak to Danse’s neck. It wasn’t an ideal location, but the last thing she wanted to do was ask him to leave his power armor. She felt it would be suspicious or wrong. There was no ill will behind the question, but she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Danse was ahead of her, but every now and again, he would let Mari catch up so he could give her shooting tips before they entered the next room or floor. She graciously accepted all the help she could get. Because she was firing her weapon at robots that were quite literally programmed to destroy her, she felt a little less heartless using the constructs as target practice. 

The paladin was a bit confusing, Mari realized. Though, that could be because of the Brotherhood of Steel’s itinerary, but he hated robots. Loathed them really. His whole moral system was based around killing synths, but here she was with Codsworth by her side and he never seemed to bat an eye or point his gun in the Mr. Handy’s direction.

It was strange.

They found the component he was looking for and took the elevator up and out of the building. “So… Mission accomplished?” Mari asked, not sure what else to say after working with a real, live, breathing person.

He uttered a thanks, handed Mari her share of caps, and one Hell of a weapon. “I also have an offer for you,” admitted Paladin Danse. “Join the Brotherhood.”

Mari’s head spun as he continued on with his spiel about the Brotherhood and what a good deal she’d get. Plus her own set of power armor, he had added making sure she knew how few were privileged enough to receive their own set.

“I… That's an offer I need to sleep on, sir,” responded the woman with her familiar stutter. In her personal experience, offers that were too good to be true were just that. Due to the fact that the offer was given by a very militaristic order through a man wearing the best suit of armor the Commonwealth had to offer, Mari put two and two together.

“Very well, civilian, when you make up your mind you know where to find me,” Danse replied. Without a second thought he left Mari and Codsworth behind at ArcJet Systems.

Night was falling fast again, as it always seemed to do in this post-war world. “Codsworth, Let’s head back to the drive-in,” Mari muttered. She tugged her oversized coat closer over her shoulders. “Tomorrow, we’ll hit Tenpines Bluff, then report back to Preston,” she decided aloud as they traveled to the pre-war hotspot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still pretty sick. Turns out everyone in the house has coronavirus, which I gotta tell ya, it's a fuck' experience. I finished writing chapter 6, it's not my best work, but I was sick as a dog and promptly passed out for 14 hrs after writing it. I'm on to writing chapter 7 though! I never thought I'd made it!
> 
> Outside of my dandy fun, I hope you're all enjoying the story, slow as I may take it.


	5. You've Changed, Boston

After a week or so learning to craft makeshift power generators and water purifiers with Sturges, Mari decided it was time to head out and finally go to Diamond City as Mama Murphy suggested some time ago. “Codsworth, I’m going to take Dogmeat with me. I need you to keep on eye on the home again,” Mari told her Mr. Handy unit.

As nice as it was to have someone to talk to, someone who knew about life before the bombs, she had this itching feeling that Codsworth would place a target on her back. He wasn’t stealthy, he was clunky. If there were any reason to leave a situation, it would be hard to exit safely without perhaps sacrificing one of Codsworth’s eyes or arms.

“I’ll have the place in tip top shape, Mum!” replied Codsworth enthusiastically.

Along her journey, Mari established two new settlement locations. One was Oberland Station. The other was Hangman’s Alley. “It’s always nice to have a place to stay, huh, Dogmeat?” Mari chuckled as she made herself a bed at Oberland Station.

Hangman’s Alley was popular, crowded, and short on beds. The place was also a frequent stop for raiders, and therefore not the best place for Mari and the German Shepard to spend the night. Oberland Station on the other hand was small and being a farm, had plenty of food.

On the first night’s stay, Mari, Dogmeat and the two settler’s at the place took down a bunch of radscorpions. Not only did they have fresh vegetables to eat, they had fresh meat to enjoy with it. Mari found the two women who had established the settlement were fairly kept to themselves, but very much appreciated Minutemen aid. 

They sat around the cooking fire to eat while Dogmeat did his best to find meat in the radscorpions corpses. “I almost forgot,” said Mari out of nowhere. “When I was clearing out the Beantown Brewery I found some better weapons and gear for you to use.”

“Nice rifle,” one of the women said while taking one of the bags from Mari. “And a metal chest plate. Man, I know I’m gonna live through the next raider attack,” she said with a wide grin on her face.

The other woman had gone up the stairs to change before anyone knew what was happening. She quickly came back down in road leathers and a hard hat. She too had a metal chest plate, but she had a sniper rifle instead of a semi-automatic. “You really came through with this equipment.”

“If it helps, then I’m happy,” Mari said with a smile. “Listen, I know I’m gonna come around again later to set up defenses, a better water supply, and if you’re alright with it I’d like to set up a recruitment beacon. I just don’t have to time to do so tonight and I need to head out in the morning,” she informed the two settlers. “Is it alright if I leave the supplies to do so here?”

“Go right ahead,” one of them replied almost immediately. She was the one who took the sniper rifle, so Mari assumed she was probably usually on look-out for enemies on the horizon.

The other nodded in agreement. “The more help with farming and defenses we can get, the better off everyone else will be. In the meantime, we can work on getting more crops growing.”

Mari was growing accustomed to the rapidly falling nights. She only wished the air wasn’t as frigid as it was getting. Her joints would grow achy, and mornings would be hard to wake up. If there were ever a morning attack, she was sure she’d be doomed.

When morning did come and the sun began to light the post-apocalyptic world, Mari woke and gathered her things. She rolled up her sleeping bag, made from two blankets stitched together on one side and a zipper on the other, and tied it around her waist. Then she pulled her duffel bag over her shoulders and covered up with her giant coat.

At some point, she planned on adding insulation to it, or maybe finding a sweatshirt to layer under it for extra protection from the cold. Her walk was long and lonely, outside of Dogmeat’s occasional approving barks. Around noon, they made it to Hangman’s Alley.

Mari stopped and dumped the remainder of her unused weaponry and equipment to the settlers and promised to return to set up better defenses, water, and food supplies. During her pitstop, she used their cooking station to warm up what was left of her radscorpion steak.

Her eyes were bigger than her stomach, and she ended up cooking too much. Needless to say, she gave the rest to her pooch with a toothy grin. “You’re a good boy, Dogmeat,” she said, petting his fur as he scarfed down the steak in three gracious bites. “You ready to find Diamond City, boy?” she asked as his tail thumped on the ground with excitement. “Alright, let’s go!”

And they were off again, adventuring through the Commonwealth.

Until they came across blasted through buildings, a bunch of men shouting, and some Super Mutants yelling broken English.

“Good Lord,” Mari whispered in awe as she watched the men in umpire gear fire into the buildings. Behind her she could feel stomping, a mutant running on the asphalt straight for her. Her eyes widened in horror, realizing the mutant had a mini nuke in his arms like a linebacker held a football in her time. “Dogmeat, go!” Shouted Mari as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

One of the guards killed the linebacker.

The dog was far ahead of her, and she envied the efficiency of running on four legs. After thirty yards, Dogmeat tackled a supermutant to the ground. He assumed that was the goal of running, at least it appeared that way. “Good boy!” Mari yelled as she avoided hitting the dog with her bullets while simultaneously hoping to disarm the supermutant.

With Paladin Danse’s shooting tips and tricks, it was easier to hit her mark. Loading a clip had yet to become second nature to her, but at some point, Mari knew she would figure it out. Until then, she figured out that using a Molotov Cocktail was the best way to keep distance between herself and an enemy. It worked quite well. The added bonus was that her target was also distracted by their crispy skin.

She grinned, maneuvering inside what was once an apartment complex or maybe an office building, was thrilling. And using a shotgun was exhilarating. Every time she fired the double-barreled gun, it felt like her shoulder would surely dislocate and in the heat of the fight, she’d be done for. But Mari would be damned if she didn’t enjoy the prospect.

By the time the gunshots stopped, adrenaline was coursing through her veins and Mari swore she had never felt so alive before. She picked locks at ease, sifted through drawers in record time, and even found a decent amount of caps on the bodies of the fallen.

After hopping through the rubble of the building and jumping over the dead bodies, she found the men in umpire attire. “If you’re looking for Diamond City, follow the trail,” one of the men, she now recognized as guards, said.

There were signs everywhere. The closer she got the more turrets and sentry bots she came across roaming the place. “Oh, how you’ve changed, Boston,” Mari said to herself in awe as she gazed up at the towering buildings that surprisingly still stood in defiance of the war, time, and possibly even logic. “Here I come, Diamond City.”

Upon reaching the front entrance to the place, Mari barely pulled together the pieces telling her that Diamond City was the old ballpark where she told Nate they were expecting. Back then she had tears in her eyes.

Shaun was a miracle baby. Mari wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant, let alone have the ability to carry a baby to term. But they made it. Nate and Mari, with the help of their beloved bot Codsworth. She was on bed rest the whole time.

And now… Nate was gone. No more than a frozen corpse, completely unable to offer love or support or comfort.

And their baby, Shaun, was missing. Kidnapped from Nate’s lifeless arms.

Here Mari stood defiantly in front of the city walls-

“Hey, you!” A woman whispered aggressively to Mari. “You want in Diamond City right?” The woman in the paperboy hat and red coat didn’t wait for a reply. “What was that? You said you’re a trader from Quincy?”

Mari didn’t dare interrupt this outlandish plan. If the woman was a local, then she knew how to get in. Her mouth kept going, talking to the man on the other side of the telecom, and Mari let her continue with her _smooth_ talking.

The green gate lifted and -was her name Piper? -Piper nodded her head, urging Mari to follow. As it turned out, Piper was the press. Probably the only one left in existence, at least for all of Diamond City she probably was, as much as she seemed to be hated.

The mayor, Mr. McDonough, was waiting for her just behind the turn stalls. As they argued back and forth with what were without a doubt, witty remarks, Mari attempted to ground herself in the here and now of reality. 

Piper turned to face Mari with determination. “He wants to shut down the press, ruin our freedom of speech, how do you feel about that?”

Mari jolted, doing her best to keep her balance. “I’ve always been a fan of our freedoms,” she replied, barely keeping her head on.

The mayor continued talking, but Mari wasn’t having any of it. “I need to get some water, please excuse me,” she said quickly and started running again.

She had almost reached the field when Piper grabbed her by her wrist. “Hey, Blue, are you alright? You looked a little off back there.”

Mari felt relieved that the other woman wanted to help, but she could feel mind leave her body. All she wanted to do was sit down and take a breather. “I don’t feel quite so right,” she stammered. 

“Fortunately, my place is right there,” Piper said, pointing to a shack with a sign on it that read _Publick Occurrences._ “You can take a breather, tell me a bit about yourself. Also, if you want a point in the right direction, I know where to go in Diamond City for just about anything.”

Mari nodded and followed Piper into the building. Her sister joined them inside not long after. “Why did you call me Blue?” She asked, taking a seat away from the door, closer to the sisters’ sleeping area. For what it was worth, the place felt nice. Like maybe, it could actually be a home for a happy family. 

“You’re obviously from a Vault, Blue. Sure you’re not wearing the blue jumpsuit, but you’ve got that bewildered look in your eye. It’s like you’re seeing all this for the first time,” Piper explained as she took a seat across from her. “How about an interview once you’ve calmed down. I’ve got a feeling you’re the next big story.”

“I… I-uh... “ Mari muttered as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Go ahead and interview me now. It helps, talking to people, that is,” she explained. 

At the end of the interview, Mari didn’t remember much of what she said. She knew how to phrase things to charge people politically. She was accustomed to banding people together, asking them to make a stand for what was right. Wording and phrasing was key, but she could only remember pieces. She didn’t have to remember any of what she said. Piper swore to make it the next big story of the Commonwealth. Her words would be in the paper.

“Nat, mind taking her to see Nicky?” Piper asked her sister. “I want to start on this paper before I have to work by candlelight on that clunky terminal.

Mari assumed Piper and her trusty computer would duke it out for the remainder of the night. But now, Piper owed her a favor or two, and Mari figured maybe she had a place to stay for the night.

And just like that, the kid was rushing through the city with Mari’s sleeve in her skinny, little hand, not at all bothering to see how Mari was faring on their race. Dogmeat was at their heels, like the wonderful boy he was, happy to have something to do. Neon lights lined the walls with arrows and hearts. The word detective was also shining bright and gaudy into the darkening night.

“I think I can find my way from here, Nat,” Mari said with her hands on her knees as she heaved for breath. “The lights are kind of a dead giveaway,” she added, barely managing to lift her hand to point at the sign. “Thanks, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually there will be a poly relationship in this, but I'm not going to tag it till it shows up. I loath being teased about poly relationships and I'd hate to be a hypocrite. It'll likely involve Nick and Hancock.


	6. No Mr. Handy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper helps Mari rescue the damsel in distress, Nick Valentine

The detective’s office was empty save for the secretary, Ellie. She said many things. She was frazzled and gathering up her belongings, papers, folders, you name it. “Hold on. Hold on, Ellie, where do you think Nick Valentine is?” Mari found herself questioning. “Wait, can you just give me his case files?”

“Uh, yes! Here!” Ellie responded. She pulled a manila folder from one of the drawers and handed it to Mari. “Please, bring him back in one piece if you can!”

“I’ll try,” Mari responded almost breathlessly as she opened the case file. There was a Holotape. With luck it would have something she needed. After ejecting Red Menace, she inserted the missing persons Holotape. “Does Vault 114 sound right to you, Miss Ellie?” Mari managed to ask.

The woman nodded and again, Dogmeat was at Mari’s heels.

Finally, she came to a halt at the door to Publick Occurrences. As she caught her breath she knocked loudly on the door. “Hey, Piper!”

Piper opened the door. Her face was a swollen with sleep… Or maybe it was coffee. Either way, she stood at the door, eyeing Mari from head to toe. Then her face lit up. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a story!” She said with a grin and ducked back into her shack to grab her jacket and maybe a pistol.

Mari, taking the hint, followed Piper inside and closed the door behind herself. Dogmeat trotted on up the stairs, finding Piper. “Dogmeat!” Mari hissed at the boy.

“It’s alright, he should stay here for the night anyway,” Piper said as she pulled on her gloves and headed down the stairs. The light at the top of the stairs turned off on its own and Mari realized Piper had her a guest for the night. “Edgar’s gonna watch Nat while I’m out.”

“Uh-huh…” Mari muttered. “We’re going to Vault 114,” she informed the other woman.

“That’s Skinny Malone’s place. Him and his Triggermen,” Piper puffed and rolled her eyes. “The guy’s a slimeball and Nick and him have tangoed a time or two.”

“Nick’s probably there. Ellie, his secretary, said he’s been gone for maybe two weeks,” said Mari, informing the other woman of exactly what she intended to do with their night on the town.

After leaving the safety of Diamond City, the duo passed several raider and super mutant encampments. Given the urgency of Nick’s situation, they only shot a few stragglers and carried on their way to the Vault several blocks away.

Back in the day, Mari could never see the stars from the heart of Boston. There she stood, staring up at the sky and up among the moon sat the sprinkle of stars that glittered across the galaxy. “Something the Nukes couldn’t touch, huh, Blue?” Piper wondered as the paused their journey across town to look up at the stars.

Mari nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. “There used to be so many lights here. You could never see much more than the moon past it all,” she informed the other woman.

Vault 114 was dug into the subway station, which in Mari’s opinion was inventive. She and Piper stayed low the the ground as the Triggermen inside jabbered on about their lives. “You ready to go back into a Vault?” Piper whispered as they hid from the men’s vision using roadblocks.

“It’s fine, let’s go.” With that Mari threw a baseball grenade she had looted from a raider on their way to the Vault. 

This Vault wasn’t hers. It wasn’t Shaun’s or Nate’s. Her neighbors weren’t the sole occupants along with scattered skeletons of long dead scientists. Mari hated knowing that she was going to kill these people. They were going to be as dead as Nate because of her. Before anything, Mari needed to find Shaun and make sure her baby was safe and happy and healthy. When it came to Shaun’s safety, as a mother, her life was forfeit.

“Blue?” Piper’s voice cracked the silence in the room filled with people they killed.

Mari turned to face the other woman. After shooting through the place, it seemed odd to stop now and so suddenly. “Huh?”

“You’re crying pretty good,” she pointed out while holding her arm to her body. Blood tainted her fingers and gloves, darkening the cloth and staining her skin. 

Mari pressed her hands against her face and wiped away the tears. She hardly realized she was crying until Piper voiced concern. But looking at Piper reminded her she needed to stay focused. “I’m fine,” she muttered. Then she shouldered off her jacket and duffel to rifle through and find a Stimpak. “Did it hit bone?” Mari asked.

She wasn’t a doctor and had never even had war time training before she woke up in this century. Figuring out the best place to apply medicine was always confusing, unless they were tablets, those were generally taken by mouth.

Needles were different though. With a surprisingly steady hand, Mari injected the medicine into Piper’s upper arm. Then she tossed the used needle to the wall in hopes she would never have to experience injecting someone again.

Somehow, beating people with a tire iron was much less stressful than using a Stimpak. 

“Feel better already…” Piper muttered, stretching her fingers to test just how well the medicine worked. Then she stretched out her arm and sighed with relief. “Much better, thanks, Blue.” Washing all the blood out later would be a task in and of itself, but that was a problem for later. “I wasn’t expecting decent bedside manner in a battlefield,” she joked. Had she not been nursing her quickly healing injury, Mari swore Piper would have gone in for a playful hip bump.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t as traumatizing as being shot at,” Mari stuttered, but flashed a toothy smile. “Let me know when you’re up to getting shot at again.”

“Well, it’s not exactly an option, if I remember correctly,” chuckled Piper. “Need me to carry anything? That stuff looks heavy,” she said, watching as Mari scavenged the bodies for anything that could help later down the road.

The widow glanced up at Piper from her bag. “I’ve got some armor you could use,” she admitted, pulling out a metal chest plate she had grabbed from one of the raiders on the way. Anything covering arms or legs weren’t so heavy. She pulled out shin guards, surely they were used for soccer before the war. At least the cushioned fabric would absorb some shock of one of them tripped a mine or come across a live grenade. 

Once the two women finally left the corridor for the main hallway, they heard Nick speaking to one of the Triggermen, Dino. Mari didn’t even try to make out the words as she scavenged through a few boxes. Then they headed to the stairs. Nick was talking about some black book, and soon Dino ran to Mari and Piper. 

He received a bullet in the neck, one in the shoulder, and finally a killshot to the heart. “Damn, Blue, you’re getting pretty good at this…” Piper muttered with a hint of worry in her voice. 

Again Mari was at her knees as a split second reaction to scavenge for anything salvageable. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely audible as she did so. “I just… I just want to - _need_ -to find my son.”

Piper was still. She was in awe with the mother’s desperation. The kid was probably dead. At best he’d become a raider or something. But here was this pre-war woman in front of her with unbreakable determination.

Their adventure, down here in the Vault, this would be a tale for the ages. But Piper couldn’t do that to Nicky, not after he’d pulled all the stops to help her out of many, many troubles. If she published a paper about their trip into Vault 114, rescuing their damsel in distress, Nick, he might just lose some business or credibility.

“I don’t know who you are, but we’ve got about three minutes till they realize Muscles for Brains ain’t comin’ back!” 

It took about that long for Mari to hack the terminal, leaving Piper to wish Nick had the ability to let himself out instead. “Ellie sent me to find you,” Mari explained while staring down the terminal screen. 

“I ought to give that girl a raise,” Nick replied.

Mari chuckled and shook her head, finally finding the correct password and setting Nick free from the Overseer’s room. For her, everything else was a haze like smoke and mirrors. Her brain was on autopilot and her body went through the motions. Nick said he came to the Vault for Darla.

Darla needed to go back to her family. And off she went, running like a scared kid back home to her parents.

Skinny Malone. Mari could hardly remember his face as she shot a raider on her way back to Diamond City. On the way, she disarmed a mine or two, but it was all a nonsensical event that hardly registered in her mind.

Before she knew it, she waved Piper goodbye at the front of Publick Occurrences. Then it was to Nick Valentine’s office. Ellie gave her a trench coat, matching the one Nick wore. She dropped a few hints about Mari partnering up with him and working as a team. But it was all a hazy blur.

Then everything slowed to a whiplash inducing halt as she explained to Nick how Nate was murdered and their infant child was kidnapped. Mari tipped over in her chair and the world went black.

When she came to, Mari found herself in what she assumed was Nick’s bed. The stairs to the loft area were steep, but she managed to safely descend to the main floor. The synth was sitting at his desk, smoking, and Mari covered her face with her shirt to avoid coughing in response. “I get that you’re no Mr. Handy, but what exactly are you?” She asked. 

Had she not been the only other person in the building, Nick probably would have been startled to say the least. He jumped to his feet and blinked his yellow orange eyes as if it would return his composure. “I’m an synth. A synthetic man, made by the Institute. They’re the Commonwealth’s own personal boogeyman these days.” He paused a moment to read the air. “You alright, doll?”

For a moment, she hesitated. A number of things could have happened between point A and point B and she was not fond of the possibilities. “Yeah, I… Did I just pass out?” She asked.

“Not quite. MT took over. Talked about how she wanted to bash in some brains,” Nick stated. The face he made had Mari wondering if he could taste how bad those words were in his mouth, if he could even taste at all. “Not exactly fond of that one, but I can’t quite blame her,” he added with a shrug. He put out his cigarette using the ashtray on Ellie’s desk.

Mari was quiet. How else would she react to someone so casually mentioning one of her alters, especially her more violent one. “You’re taking that surprisingly well, Detective…” she muttered, referencing her disorder. People in the world of now were a confusing bunch, but people before the bombs dropped weren’t especially accepting of her problems.

“I’ve come across quite a few people in my day, doll. Lots of victims cope like you,” he explained as he stood in front of her. “Of course, it’s not everyday a synth like me gets hit on by an alter either,” he chuckled.

“Shit. She hit on you?” Mari questioned in disbelief. 

“So that’s not a common thing with her? Here I was thinking she was just a charmer,” Nick joked. “Maybe I should be a bit flattered.”

Mari stared up at him blankly, her voice caught in her throat. It was hard to tell if his self loathing derived from being a literal robot or if it was something else. “MT’s never done that before that I know of. I’m not really surprised, since you’re a loo-oo-oo -FUCK!” If Nick’s attention weren’t on her before, it was now. “A looker,” she finished in a mumble. Before her words could even be addressed she started speaking again. “How long was I out for?”

“An hour, give or take,” Nick replied smoothly. He returned to his desk and retrieved a folder. “Your case file, if you’ve got anything to add.”

The woman stood, slack jawed as she accepted the folder. It was filled with every little detail, and even someone Nick thought fit the description of Shaun’s kidnapper. Mari felt empty inside, and whether that was because she hadn’t eaten in the past two days or not, she wasn’t sure. Of course, part of it probably had to do with all the mental stamina it took to let one of her alters, especially MT, take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On top of Mari's plethora of problems, she's also got Dissociative Identity Disorder, also called DID. I wrote this chapter while I was sick as a dog and promptly passed out for 14 hours after writing it, so I accepted its faults and moved on. I didn't intent to wedge in one of Mari's alters until much later, but sometimes I write and the characters take over. So MT wedged her way in way ahead of schedule.


	7. Diamond City City Slicker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a moment, she held her gaze with the shadows in the alley. Then she turned her head up to stare an empty stare at him, an expression likely brought on by exhaustion. Nick had to admit, it was a little concerning. Then again, Mari had been through a lot. This was one of those moments he had to step back and give the dame some credit. Living in the ‘Wealth as a pre-war relic definitely came with some drawbacks.

Nick didn’t have space for his new case to spend the night at the agency, but he knew a place. Before they could touch a place to sleep, Mari needed food. It wasn’t often when one of her alters completely took over, so she had expended a lot of energy to keep herself going. If she wanted to wake up without a serious case of the munchies when morning came around, she was going to need sustenance.

Fortunately, the detective was a long time local and knew a place. “Takahashi’s got the best noodles in town,” he assured her as they navigated Diamond City together. 

Mari found herself lost in the old Boston accent and the way he talked. In terms of human height, the synth could very well have been a skyscraper. When he stood close it was all too obvious the distance between the top of her head and the top of his was a steep incline. Now that they were in the not-so-fresh air, she had some thinking space up in her head, enough to notice the gaps left by broken, synthetic flesh that had either been torn, shot, or corroded away during his time in the Wasteland.

As she gawked up at him, even seated he was taller by a mile, his head turned down to face her. “You listening, sweetheart?” An amused smirk twisted the edges of his lips upward. He caught her gaping, not that it was hard considering that was all she had done since she woke up. “Your noodles are gonna freeze on you, y’know,” he added, giving his best friendly advice.

Mari glanced down at the counter in front of her. A bowl of noodles sat, no longer steaming, but patiently waiting for their sweet, noodle-y end in her stomach. “Sorry, I got lost,” she admitted. The implication that she was lost staring at him was there and she left it at that. Both of them knew it rude, but Nick was too polite to say a word to the living ice relic, and she was too frazzled by hunger to offer a proper apology.

“You do the eating, I’ll do the talking,” Nick assured her.

The noodles disappeared in an instant and Mari hastily ordered another serving. From that magic bag of wonders she pulled a Nuka Quantum as her second serving cooled. “I might not be in the clear to start looking for my baby by tomorrow… Or anytime soon, really,” admitted Mari between mouthfuls of noodles and Nuka Quantum. “I wanna have my shit together before my boy meets his mom and thinks that even in this shitshow of a world that I’m too crazy for him,” she continued, the discomfort in her voice was unmistakable.

The detective couldn’t blame her for feeling ashamed of her mental state. He’d only known her for a few hours and she had already switched out on him. Either that or she was just trying to shake him after finding out who the possible kidnapper was. Nick had to admit, he didn’t like the sound of that either. “You trying to get rid of me so soon?” He questioned flatly. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel more miserable for her hard decision.

Before answering, she slurped down the remainder of her meal, slapped some caps onto the counter as a tip and stood. “God, no!” She exclaimed and let out a hearty laugh. “Listen, I know you’re just stickin’ with me because I’m a client for now, but… Man, some damn company would be nice,” Mari stammered over the words. “Don’t let this stutter fool you. I love talking! I just… I don’t remember where I was going with that…”

“I don’t know either, doll,” Nick chuckled. He followed her to where ever she was heading. By the looks of it, they were headed to the wall, past the mutfruit farm. It was the middle of the night, but Abbott was still there, staring at the green wall of the outfield. The man tasked Mari with getting green paint. “How’d you know about Abbott?” Nick found himself asking out of curiosity.

“One of the guards said I should talk to Abbot about the wall. I’ll be honest, I only figured out what the guy meant while I was eating noodles, listening to you talk about Diamond City,” Mari blabbered on. She had been keeping a brisk pace as they walked through the town, but she stopped suddenly and looked up at him. “Uh, do you know a place to sleep for the night?”

He was grateful she hadn’t assumed she could just crash at his place till the morning. The place would have been more cramped than a can of anchovies. “I know a place,” said Nick. Instead of keeping up her brisk pace with his long strides, he opted for a more casual walk. “Lots of odd jobs you could take up here in Diamond City if you’re looking to stay in civilization a while longer,” he told her. “But if you head out, don’t be afraid to stop by. This old bot likes to keep tabs.”

The woman stopped and stared blankly out into the alley that stood before them. It was likely her brain was on fire with thoughts again, but Nick didn’t want to question a thing. So he stood there beside her and waited for the flames to die down. “I, uh, I don’t mean to impose,” she started, “but I wouldn’t mind if you headed out with me. Once I got around to heading out, of course,” said Mari.

For a moment, she held her gaze with the shadows in the alley. Then she turned her head up to stare an empty stare at him, an expression likely brought on by exhaustion. Nick had to admit, it was a little concerning. Then again, Mari had been through a lot. This was one of those moments he had to step back and give the dame some credit. Living in the ‘Wealth as a pre-war relic definitely came with some drawbacks.

“So long as I don’t get kidnapped again, doll, you know where to find me,” Nick said. He offered an awfully weak smile, but it held its charm nonetheless.

“Thanks, Nick,” said Mari, returning his smile with one of her own.

Two days later, the woman was in his office with her dog again. Only this time Nick Valentine wasn’t missing or held hostage in Vault 114, he was at his desk. His secretary, Ellie, offered Mari a genuine smile, like she was some kind of lucky rabbit’s foot or good omen. Maybe it was because Mari was wearing the detective trench coat Ellie gave her as a reward for saving Nick. “Hi, Ellie,” Mari said sheepishly. “Mind if I nab your boss for a while?” She asked with a crooked smile that held all of her anxiety.

“If he’s kidnapped with you, I’m sure he’ll come back,” Ellie giggled at her own joke.

Nick didn’t seem so keen to the jibe though. Still, he stood from his chair, and ashed his cigarette. “We headed out of Diamond City to see the good ole Commonwealth, huh?” he asked with the cigarette back in his mouth. His glowing eyes were as enamoring as they were before, only this time Mari had a few good night’s rest behind her and the ability to process what she was seeing. “You’re gawking again, sweetheart,” he chuckled. He took a few of his case files and shoved them into his trench coat before throwing it on.

“Nah, you’re seeing things,” Mari said and was immediately reminded how she sounded when she made an attempt at being funny. “Vadim got himself into some trouble, so I’m headed to Beantown Brewery.” They walked down the steps from the stands into what once was the concession area of the stadium. Now, the concrete walls were considered impenetrable. “The radio boy, Travis, uncertain as he is, will meet us there.”

“Vadim got himself into trouble playing confidence man, eh?”

To his surprise Mari stopped dead in her tracks. “If yer gonna talk like the people up North, ya gotta do it right.” Out of thin air appeared a Northern accent, something Nick swore up and down he’d never hear again. “Say, now, don’tcha know ‘bout how we talk up North, eh, robo-man?” Mari continued relentlessly, a dead giveaway that she had seen Nick’s face, full of recognition and took it as the go ahead to badger him further. After his continued awe-struck silence, Mari cleared her throat. “Alright, yeah, Vadim was playing confidence man. But Travis really wanted to help get him outta the Brewery,”

“You weren’t kidding when you said you liked to talk,” Nick snickered as he lit up yet another cigarette. He wasn’t a chain smoker by far, but with the way he’d been at it for the day, Mari was beginning to wonder what the benefits of smoking were for a synth. “Didn’t realize you were from up North either. You Canadian?”

Mari shook her head. “Minnesota actually. Spent half my childhood in Iowa though, riding in the combine with my grandma,” she informed him. She swallowed hard, like she was thinking of something that had bothered her a long time. “I’ve seen the mirelurks here, makes me wonder what the Hell they’re dealing with out in the marshlands.” Mari shivered and turned the collar of her coat up to protect herself from an imaginary breeze.

“I didn’t think they had lobster to mutate that far inland,” Nick thought aloud. “Lake Superior, maybe?” He suggested.

Again the woman shook her head. “Nasty fish, got some snakes. Crawdads.” She shivered again and her face twisted. Shock took over her face, all wide eyes and mouth agape. “Good Lord, Nick, the spiders would be God-awful.” Horror dawned on her and she picked up her pace.

He knew jogging down to Beantown Brewery wouldn’t widen the distance between Mari and her thoughts of Radmonsters, but Nick saw no harm in humoring her as he broadened his strides.

It was nightfall when they finally met Travis at the raider nest. What Nick learned from Mari on their journey to the place was that she killed the last wave of occupants no more than two weeks ago. She also revealed that she hadn’t told Travis. In fact, the reason Vadim’s raider friends decided to kidnap him in the middle of the night was likely because they recognized Mari.

“I’ve never shot a gun before,” Travis revealed outside of the building.

So, the detective and human popsicle pulled out their pistols. Mari held a left handed shot and Nick right handed. They showed him everything from loading a magazine to aiming a shot and firing, at least to the best of their ability, under the entryway light at the front door.

Travis, while a little more gun savvy than fifteen minutes ago, was still unsure. “I want to help Vadim, but what good am I gonna be dead?” He stammered.

Being all too familiar with a stutter and confidence issues, Mari shook her head. “You’re not gonna die, Travis. You follow our lead, try not to shoot us while you’re at it, and you’ll make it out just fine,” she promised him. “And if you find yourself in hot water, holler, one of us’ll getcha.”

Nick put a metal hand on the kid’s shoulder. “You’ve got us at your back, kid, you’ll be right as rain.”

The kid gave an awkward huff of acknowledgement and rubbed his arm. “Did I mention how great it is to know you’re back in town?” Travis asked with a toothy, yet uncertain smile.

“Won’t be back in Diamond City for a while. I’m working on a case with our mutual friend here,” Nick reminded Travis as he extended an arm out to Mari, who in turn, waved meekly. “Doll brought me back last time, so you and the rest of Diamond City won’t have to worry about my well being,” he added.

Mari snorted. All of the Commonwealth could hear Travis worry his head off in his cozy little trailer in the center of Diamond City. At least now, he wouldn’t have to worry for Nick’s safety too much. After they killed all the raiders and freed Vadim from his binds at the brewery, Mari realized he wouldn’t have to fear his own well being either.

Travis and Vadim headed back to Diamond City. Nick and Mari watched them go.

They crossed the river and traveled through the night. “It’s not often someone calls me a friend nonchalantly, ‘specially after dealing with MT,” Mari admitted, her gaze averted.

“You don’t say,” replied Nick.

“Yeah, the last one was over 200 years ago,” the woman replied and lifted her head to reveal a goofy smile. “Might have been another robot too, but who can really be certain these days?”

Dogmeat barked, insisting his master not forget him.

Mari giggled and stopped to stoop and ruffle his fur. “I’ll give you a bath when we get home, alright buddy? You’re getting awfully smelly out here,” she said, her stutter hardly noticeable. Nick assumed that was because she was talking to something that couldn’t judge her if the words came out wrong, but it might just have been because she liked the dog.

“Sure am glad you don’t talk to me like that,” Nick retorted, his smirk visible thanks the glow of his eyes and Mari’s active Pip-Boy.

She stood and her arms reached for the sky. “You know I could start any time with how much you smoke,” she jeered. “Or were you wanting a bath?”

Had the detective been drinking anything, he surely would have spat it out. Instead, his cigarette fell from his parted lips onto the asphalt. He was stunned into silence, unable to say anything in return.

Mari continued walking, but now she had a shit eating grin on her face. “Careful with that fat lip, a bird might come along and shit on it,” she teased.

“So this is the Mari of the Wasteland? Real people pleaser if you ask me,” Nick muttered, now following close behind in long strides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't touched this story in almost a month! I've been dissociating a lot and things have been difficult, but I'm trying to get back on track and into writing this story again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very great at keeping on with long chapter fics. But I'd like to prove that I'm not dead. So here's the first chapter of this story :)
> 
> Fallout 4 is my first Fallout game and I only got it at the end of December during the steam sale, so not everything I write will canonical.


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